Karonda berry or black currant / Vakkaya in Telugu is usually available in summer times. It is available in plenty in Andhra. This berry / fruit is grown in many countries and is used widely for it’s tangy and piquant nature in condiments, pickles, jams etc. Karonda berry is greenish in colour initially , as it grows into fruit it becomes purplish red, This berry is a good source of anti oxidants, fibre, minerals and vitamins especially vitamin C. It helps in maintaining heart health, mental health and gut health etc. Here iam preparing dal with karonda berry.
Ingredients:
Karonda / Vakkaya – 15 to 20 ( washed, slit into 2 parts , seeds removed and kept aside ),
Salt,
Toor dal – 200 gms,
Haldi – 1/4 tsp,
Green chilli – 2, slit into 2,
Red chilli powder – 3/4 tsp,
Red chilli _ 2, broken into pieces,
Dhania powder – 1 tablesp,
My secret ingredient pappu masala – 1 tablesp,
Onion – 1 medium, sliced fine,
Tomato – 1, small optional,
Peeled garlic cloves – 6,
Hing – 2 pinch,
Oil – 2 tablesp + 1 tsp,
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp,
Jeera – 1/4 tsp,
Curry leaves – 1 sprig,
Chopped coriander leaves – 2 tsp,
Vadagam – 1 tsp,
Method:
1).Wash dal well, put it in cooker, add haldi, green chilli, tomato ( if using ),chilli powder, dhaiya powder, few onion pieces, pappu masala ,1 tsp of oil ( substitute a tsp of sambar powder if vadagam is not available ) and 400 ml of water.
2).Close the cooker and pressure cook the dal for 3 whistles.
3).Allow the steam to escape. Open the cooker and mash the dal with back of laddle or potato masher.
4).Heat the remaining oil, add mustard seeds, garlic, urad dal, jeera, red chilli, hing and curry leaves. Fry till mustard crackles. Add the onion pieces and fry for a minute till they turn pink.
5}.Now add karonda and cook covered for 2 more minutes. Stir well and Pour the mashed dal over tadka ,mix well and allow it to cook for 1 more minute.sprinkle coriander leaves and remove from fire.
5).Serve this tangy dal with hot plain rice with a tsp of desi ghee.You can also serve with break fast items like idli, dosa,chapathi etc.
Tip:
a).For vadagam recipe and pappu masala you can go through my recipe list.
b).I prefer to use pressure cooker ( 3 litres ) for dal as it saves time, energy, and cooking gas too.